Idealism in the Dark
by skywolf666
Summary: The order was iron, but still, as Eve looked upon the fallen Hoshidan warriors that had been brought before her and her brother for their test of merit, her hand simply refused to obey. Not even the stern and unflinching command of the Nohrian king would sway her heart into the murder of helpless prisoners. If Garon's word was iron, then her idealism was diamond. Chapter 2 centric.


Quiet curses that no self-respecting young princess should have known left Eve's lips in a slow, muffled stream as she held the end of a long strip of bandages between her teeth as her hands busily wrapped the length carefully and methodically about her waist. The ugly, jagged wound above her hipbone ached with a harsh and throbbing pain despite the salve she had applied to it, though that fact did not surprise her as she thought of the magical blade responsible for her injury. Not for nothing was Siegfried known as a magical treasure of Nohr, and though it was the first time she had been on the opposing end of the sword's true power, Eve had to admit she was lucky to come away only superficially wounded.

However, as her ruby gaze slid to the floor where her torn and bloody shirt lay discarded on the floor by the locked door to her chambers, she had to revise her statement about her wound's severity. The young princess had been lucky that she had been able to disguise her injury as mere breathlessness after the battle in the dungeons, but by the time she had made her way back to the chambers she had been permitted to call her own in Castle Krakenburg, the bleeding had grown worse and so had her pain. Even her new armour had done little to blunt Marx's blade, and she had been dizzy and panting hard for breath long before she had reached the door.

Taking in a deep breath, Eve carefully knotted the ends of the bandages together and settled a hand protectively, gingerly, over the still-throbbing injury. The salve had only really bit into the open wound rather than provided her any true relief from the strange mixture of the torn tissue and the magical burn that Siegfried had left her with about the edges of the ragged injury. She had no doubt her skin would scar from the damage that she was trying clumsily to treat herself, but she had no intention of calling for a healer. Her distaste of the healing wings still ran strong within her despite the fact that she had been spending less and less time confined to the sickbed as she grew, but her worry was far more focused on the outrage and guilt that would no doubt follow should any of her siblings learn of her injury.

"It was my fault anyway..." Eve mumbled to herself as she sat still and ashamed on the edge of the large four-poster bed that she was currently calling her own in the large castle of Nohr's capitol. Part of her still had not yet finished processing all that had taken place that day when she and her brother had been brought to the prisons beneath the castle to demonstrate their skills firsthand at the king's command. Her ruby eyes closed against the flood of memories she had not allowed herself to truly feel, wondering if in some distant part of her mind that it had all been a dream. If the day was just another one of the many vivid and strange nightmares that she had found herself experiencing with horrible frequency in the past several months.

Wincing as a flicker of pain reminded her that she was indeed awake, Eve pulled her hand away from her hip to prevent herself from succumbing to the instinctive urge to rub at the injury in a vain effort to soothe the pain. The wound was only evidence of her rashness, and a well-deserved one at that, though she had a bad feeling that if she said as much to any of her siblings that she would earn a rather deadly glare instead of agreement. Such protectiveness made no sense to the young princess, she had openly disobeyed orders and was rather lucky she had not been killed on the spot for such treason in the face of Nohr's king, but she knew better than to think that Camilla and Elise at the very least cared for her logic.

It hadn't helped that she, and Aidan, were already exhausted from their bout with the strange group of Hoshidan prisoners that Garon had procured for their test of skill before Marx had turned his blade to them for their open defiance of their orders. The twins had been outnumbered two to one in the prisons, both wielding swords that were not familiar to their hands in the battle, and Eve had considered herself lucky to have escaped her bouts tired but relatively unscathed. Her elder twin had not fared nearly as well, with the strange ebony and violet sword in hand that Garon had seen fit to gift him as the better swordsman.

Stronger as he was, Aidan hadn't been afraid to directly engage his enemies in contrast to her far more controlled approach to battle. While the both of them had walked away victorious from their individual bouts, Aidan had earned several wounds from the wily ninja and swordsman that he had fought. Eve wondered if the weapon he had gone into battle with had handicapped him, it was obvious the strange blade had not felt proper in his hand even though he hadn't shown such hesitation or concern when he had strode fearlessly into the melee. He had met the forest-haired ninja blow for blow, his crimson eyes calm and expression perfectly detached, but even his calm and superior strength hadn't prepared him for the strange style of fighting from the Hoshidans, and he had earned several superficial but painful injuries before he had finally brought his foes down.

Eve hadn't felt the need to perform so recklessly, something she knew had spared her from such wounds as she used her natural speed to her advantage despite her weakness in comparison to her twin. Though she had excelled quickly in her lessons in the sword, she was naturally frail, and more often than not had to rely on her quickness rather than strength. Being difficult to hit was far more useful than striking hard, and she had won more battles than she had lost by simply wearing out a stronger opponent and being difficult to hit. It was a far riskier strategy to use, but Eve far preferred natural speed over power with her distaste for battle in general.

Training in warfare had been difficult for her from the very beginning even though she had enjoyed the physical exertion that came from learning to wield a sword. Fighting had never came naturally to her, and while she knew her pacifism and idealism did not line up with any of the beliefs of her more warlike siblings, she still refused to believe that force was the answer to her homeland's quarrel with Hoshido. The weight of a blade was far too heavy for her heart to carry easily no matter how quickly her body took to the skill, and when she had faced the exhausted and beaten forms of the Hoshidan soldiers before her and her brother, there had been no question in her mind that defying the order to kill them was the right thing to do.

Aidan had been wiser than her at the beginning, something Eve reflected on with a pained sort of sigh, but it had always been that way between her and her brother. Her idealism was always met with her twin's sharper realism in such matters, and she had seen the resignation in his eyes when he had turned to look from Garon in surprise and then back to the foursome behind him. He understood and was far more willing to obey the cold and cruel order even though it was clear that such an act disgusted and disturbed him, but when he had seen Eve standing still and tense, his hold on Ganglari had loosened. Though he was her elder, he looked to her as if she was the only one he would take direction from, and Eve had only to meet his gaze before she knew that if she would not follow the order to kill the prisoners, that he would not obey, either.

The sign of quiet acceptance from her twin had encouraged her to speak up, though, with hindsight, Eve understood that from the very beginning she had been naive in thinking her words carried any weight whatsoever to a man like the King of Nohr. But her idealism had left her blinded to the nervous, almost fearful glances of her sisters and the warning looks of her brothers, and recklessly she had stood her ground before the prisoners and her father. Lifting her chin as her sword hung defiantly down by her side, Eve had looked into the stern and merciless face of her father as she pleaded with him despite the instinctual fear that made her blood cold and her skin crawl underneath Garon's stare.

" _Father, certainly we don't need to kill them...? They're beaten prisoners. What would be the point in ending their lives? Surely we can show mercy even to our foes, can't we?"_

Her words had fallen on deaf ears, just as her other siblings had known they would, but Eve's surprise had come more from Garon's immediate decision to end the lives of the quartet of Hoshidans behind her since she and her brother clearly would not do so themselves. She had stood shocked and more than a little afraid to see the large and imposing man raise his hand to send a blast of black fire towards the prisoners, but thankfully, her brother had acted faster than she to intercept the blow and cause a burst of flame and smoke to momentarily obscure him and the ninja that had been the target of the initial blast.

When the smoke had quickly cleared, the first thing to be seen had been Ganglari, pulsing with that strange dark violet light that seemed to encompass the strangely scaled blade. Aidan held it lengthwise across his chest, having steadied the blade with his hands to take the blow and neutralize it before it could explode properly on its intended victim. His crimson eyes were narrowed and fierce as he showed no sign of injury from his reckless intervention, and to Eve's eternal gratitude, he had met Garon's returning glare tit for tat without an ounce of fear in his eyes. Like his sister, he would not move from where he stood, and he would not permit murder to be done in meek silence.

Feeling the stares of shock, gratitude, and disbelief heavy on her back, Eve had been quick to stand beside her brother again in a show of silent solidarity. Though she had not expected such a quick turnabout from his former resignation, Eve was endlessly grateful that her twin was so willing to show his support of her beliefs even if he did not agree with them. It had always been a subject of argument for them, a tactician's cold and brutal logic against a princess who firmly believed in the best of people and the ideals of peace, but her twin never once let their differing views cause a true divide between them. He never would share her ideals, he was too logical and set in his cold and unapproachable ways, but he did see the merit in her beliefs, and it showed as he held Ganglari at his side, ready and prepared to repeat his feat a second time if it proved necessary against Garon's rage.

" _Insolent whelp...! Step aside, lest you join the worthless dogs behind you, boy! You were given an order to kill the scum before you! Will you disobey a direct command from your king?!"_

Eve knew that Aidan had heard the surprised and almost pleading murmurs from their younger and elder siblings that stood flanking their outraged father, but he had paid them absolutely no mind. Ganglari seemed to pulse within his hands as defiant crimson met outraged burgundy, and Aidan's ensuing response had brought surprised inhalations from Camilla and Eve, and a quick, shocked look from Leon when he had almost snarled back with unmitigated ferocity and disgust.

" _Not if such an order would turn me from a soldier into a murderer, Father."_

In that moment, Eve knew with hindsight, that she had learned something she had never known about her elder twin. While she had always known the king of Nohr was a source of fear for her, Aidan had never showed such an emotion towards the man who had fathered them. If anything, it only seemed he had a grudging sort of desire to earn his respect so he could escape the cage he found himself trapped within. Eve wondered how she had ever mistaken her twin's apathy as resentment or bitterness, no matter how logical it had seemed at the time. He was skilled in swordplay and tactics, and it was common knowledge that he had been ready to leave the northern fortress years ago, but had chosen to remain behind with his sister instead. She had assumed his apathy had been a facade to hide his bitterness and resentment that Garon chose only to show favour to Marx and to Leon rather than acknowledge his skill, but as she looked into his blazing crimson eyes and heard the depths of emotion in his scathing retort, she understood she had been wrong.

There was no resentment or bitterness in Aidan's expression as he glared up unflinchingly into the furious eyes of Nohr's King. His practised mask of apathy had melted away and deepened his usual scowl into a fearsome glare that even Eve had felt herself instinctively shrinking away from. It was as if years of suppressed emotion were now seeping through the cracks in his carefully erected shell, revealing the truth that he could no longer control in the heat of the moment. Burning deep in those usually so stoic crimson eyes of his was pure, unfiltered hatred for their father and king.

The pain in her side reminded her that she hadn't had time then to muse on the sudden realization that her twin hated their father, not when Marx had spoken up in their defence at Aidan's harsh remarks. At the time, she had been astounded by his obedience when Garon had turned his rage to his eldest son and demanded he take on the task of routing the prisoners, and rather than thinking clearly, Eve had been quick to turn her blade in the Hoshidans' defence. Her sense of morality was screaming at the injustice, at the idea that her brother, her hero, was willing to commit murder in his father's name, and she had been glad, if a little worried, when Aidan had stood tall in front of her to bar Marx's way forward.

The ensuing fight had been quick, and Eve felt a strange throbbing of wounded pride and annoyance at the memory. Her wound, sore and inflamed as it was, didn't hurt nearly as much as the fact that her brother had been going easy on her for the last month of their training. The difference between the Nohrian prince at the fortress and the one she had fought in the castle was stark, and neither she nor her brother had stood much of a chance against him when he approached.

With a quick handful of blows, Aidan had found himself rid of Ganglari and sent skittering across the floor and to the stairs, and though he had fought to rise again despite the obvious pain, Camilla had bounded down to his side and restrained him with firm grips on his wrists. Eve had almost thought he would shrug her off, but their elder sister only had to bow her head against his and whisper to him urgently, and almost at once her elder twin was sinking back to the floor, scowling but made docile by his wounds and his sister's voice.

'A pity I didn't hear her... Perhaps I could have avoided fighting at all if I had only listened to my wits.' Eve sighed with honest regret as she replayed the scene over and over in her head. Though she was quicker on her feet than her elder brother, she was faster than any of her siblings from her years of fleeing through the fortress from her healers, she was nowhere near as strong as he was. The first blow she had sidestepped, and the second she had ducked, but when she had moved forward to strike him herself, she knew she didn't have the ability to best him. Not properly.

Marx was no sibling to her in that fight, he was a prince under the command of his king, and his resolve had been far stronger than hers. He had turned Siegfried to the side to strike her with the blunt face of the blade, and his mercy had been her undoing when she again sidestepped his strike to take the edge across her side. The burning magic that surrounded the keen blade had cut easily through armour and flesh, and she was only glad that the resulting blow had sent her backwards and to the floor before anyone had the chance to see what damage had been done to her.

"He would never have forgiven himself..." Eve murmured quietly as she glanced down at the bandaging that now hugged her middle, and she swallowed the knot that threatened to close her throat down hard. She knew now that she had been reckless and unthinking, too quick to judge and even quicker to act in her anger, and she only felt like a clumsy little child now that the adrenaline had faded and left her alone with her thoughts. She had never considered that Marx, that all of her siblings, would be willing to disobey in secret rather than in the open as she and Aidan had, and she was ashamed to have never thought of such subterfuge herself.

Yet, with Leon's quick interference and thinking, Eve had been forced to see for herself just how idiotic her actions had been, and her face had burned with shame as she slouched down under the weight of her mistake. She had only been lucky that Garon had seen fit to overlook her and Aidan's transgressions in the face of everyone else's prompt obedience, and with a quickly whispered conference between her siblings, she had been glad to see that the escape for the surviving Hoshidan prisoners would be formulated before dawn. She had asked to be called to be present for their release, but was glad that she had time to retreat to her chambers to tend to her injuries before anyone could become suspicious of her condition.

Staggering back to her room had been a chore, and she had been startled and painfully amused when she had unbuckled her armour to see the damage that had been done to her. The magical aura from Siegfried had left a nasty patch of burnt skin across her lower stomach and right hipbone, but it had been the slash wound in the middle of the burnt area that worried her more. The wound was bleeding and gaping by the time she had returned to her chambers, and it had taken far longer than she would have liked to stymie the bloodflow and finally apply salve to the injury before bandaging the lot up.

Though, now, as Eve looked down at her haphazard handiwork... She had to admit she probably could have done better had to called Elise to her room. Almost immediately however, the young princess was shaking her head angrily, reminding herself that Elise would have told Camilla, who would have promptly took Marx to task for daring to injure her so severely, even if it had been an accident. No, it was far wiser to have handled it on her own than to involve anyone else if she wished to keep it a secret. Marx felt guilty enough for the whole incident already, and had no need for another burden to add to his shoulders.

Though, as Eve thought of that piercing, searching glance Aidan had sent her way before she had excused herself to return to her chambers, Eve had to wonder if perhaps her twin knew of her wound. It wouldn't have surprised her, her brother was an exceptionally keen young man when it came to her, but to her eternal gratitude, Aidan had simply allowed her to leave without a word. Though, as she reflected on him, she had to muse that his behaviour had been just as secretive as her own. He hadn't allowed Elise to look at his injuries despite her offer, and Camilla had looked furtively in his direction several times as if she wanted to try to convince him to accept their little sister's help.

Still, whatever influence Camilla had seemed to have over her brother seemed to have been for naught, she had heard her brother returning to the neighbouring room beside her only a handful of minutes after her own retreat, and there had been perfect silence from there since. Now Eve sat alone in her chambers on the edge of her bed, eyeing her bloody and torn shirt and wondering if she had the strength to make the trip from her chambers and castle gates when the call came. The very idea daunted her as her side throbbed unhappily with pain, but she refused to allow herself to succumb to the injury. She wanted to be able to see the prisoners find freedom and know she had done some good today despite her rashness.

" _Mark my words, Eve... One day an act of kindness may be the death of you."_

" _Perhaps so. But I'd rather die having a kind heart than with a cruel hand."_

" _Heh... Well said, Eve. Well said."_

The exchange that she and Marx had shared before she had left for her chambers still rang in her ears, and made Eve take pause from re-examining her wounds. She knew he had only meant well in warning her against her excess compassion, but even though she knew she had been reckless in acting before knowing all of the information at hand, she still couldn't entirely call her actions wrong. She hadn't thought things through, and would have gone about her actions much more carefully, but she still would have chosen to spare the lives of the prisoners rather than commit murder at Garon's command.

Eve refused to believe a soft heart meant weakness, no matter what her brothers or Camilla said to her. She knew, deep down, that she did not have the heart or the stomach of a true soldier. She was far too much of a pacifist, but she knew her idealism had to have a place in the world. Sworn enemies of her nation or not, the war between Nohr and Hoshido only caused pain for her country, and she wanted to believe there was a way to put an end to it without losing her soul in the process. At the very least, she was glad to know that Marx valued her determination to stick by her ideals even if he disagreed with them, and the thought made her smile gently as her heart gave a familiar and pleasant squeeze within her chest.

However, that pleasant squeeze quickly became harsh and cold as realization came quick on its heels, and Eve took a quick and cleansing breath as she chastised herself inwardly for her thoughts. Shaking her head abruptly, Eve forced the thoughts of her brother out of her head before her body could betray her. It was a ritual she was now well-versed in practising, it was one she had begun since adolescence when she had realized why her fascination with Marx was only growing stronger as she grew into womanhood, and Eve silently repeated the refrain that she was not to think of the first prince in such a manner, no matter how her heart or body insisted it should.

'He's your brother, Eve... Your brother. The first prince of this country, and your hero, but still your brother. You know better by now... You should have outgrown this already...' Eve closed her eyes as she scolded herself coldly, taking in deep breaths and holding them in to cleanse both her body and her mind. It was an exercise she knew truly didn't work, it was only a temporary relief from that secret yearning she had, but Eve fiercely held onto the hope that one day she might be able to believe the words she repeated every time she felt that familiar sensation returning to break upon her thoughts.

Desperate for something, anything else to remove her from the cruel and helpless cycle, Eve looked about her room before finding the armour that lay discarded by the foot of her bed. Glad for the distraction, Eve pushed herself closer to the burnished silver and ebony armour that had been gifted to her on her birthday, and she wondered if the matching, if modified, set that her brother had received was likewise damaged. She would not be able to wear hers until the tear Siegfried had delivered through the plates that covered the torso were repaired, though that thought didn't bother her overmuch.

It was simply one more sign of a lifestyle that she did not wish to live, no matter how beautiful the set seemed to be to her eye. And it _was_ beautiful even it was an outfit only to be worn for battle, but even so, Eve did not want to admire it. She hated to wear the armour and to pick up a blade, and the battle that had taken place earlier and what had followed after only cemented her knowledge that she was simply not cut out for war despite her training or skills. Yet she would continue to be a soldier, as it was the only path before her feet that she was permitted to walk, and the thought twisted her stomach uncomfortably as she muttered to herself, "Perhaps I should have studied healing rather than magic when I was offered the choice..."

Her bitter murmurings were cut off by a sharp rapping at her door, and Eve had to grip hard at the sheets to resist the physical impulse to leap to her feet to answer it. A quick glance out the window proved that night had fallen while she had been lost in her thoughts, and Eve hastily, if gingerly, pushed herself back to her feet. Her side ached sharply but her feet held steady beneath her, and satisfied that she would be able to hide it well enough with a little bit of effort, Eve hastily reached for the spare shirt she had set aside by her pillow before calling to the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me. Marx is calling for you."

Leon's curt and no-nonsense voice brought a small smile to Eve's face despite the situation, and she shrugged awkwardly into her shirt before pulling at the hem to ensure it covered the bandages completely. Hitching her trousers back up was a little more difficult, and she cringed painfully as the tight material squeezed down on her wounds, but she ignored the pain as she notched her buckle and smoothed out her shirt. She couldn't keep her brother waiting, and after a quick glance in the mirror to ensure that she had sufficiently covered herself up, she trotted over to the door and pulled it open before greeting her little brother warmly, "Leon. Are you coming with us?"

"No. I'm only going to fetch Aidan and then the three of you can go to the courtyard..." Leon replied with a shake of his head, but his burgundy eyes narrowed as he paused in allowing Eve to step out into the hall to join him. He took a quick glance about his surroundings, ensuring that the two of them were alone in the hall before he began without a sign of hesitation or gentleness, "But, before that, I want to tell you that you were completely reckless and foolish earlier today, and you are quite lucky that things played out as they had. You could have been in quite a spot of trouble had I not stepped in for you."

"I'm aware, Leon. Believe me." Eve answered with a sincere, if weak little smile at the familiar tone she had fully expected to hear from him. No one knew quite how to scold her like Leon did, and she appreciated his frankness even if the words were a little hard on her ears. It took effort, a little too much effort, to stop herself from laying a hand on her side to accentuate her words, but she offered her brother a brighter smile as she added on gently, "And thank you for stepping in when you did. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that."

Leon shook his head even though that stern and unforgiving scowl on his face softened at the corners despite her words, and his tense posture relaxed a little, too. He sighed heavily, almost as if he was trying to remind himself not to be too stern with her when she seemed to be admitting the errors of her ways, but his burgundy eyes remained sharp and troubled as he commented seriously, "I couldn't very well allow you or Aidan to enter into an even worse situation by simply standing by idly... but you must at least promise to think ahead the next time you have a desire to dash headlong in. Marx was right; one act of kindness may very well be the death of you someday."

Unable to completely help it, Eve stood in a pique at the scolding that she knew Leon felt justified in giving her, but after hearing the same words twice in one day, the young princess of Nohr was in no mood to be told her idealism was a fault. Narrowing her eyes on her younger brother, she poked him in the chest with her index finger, pointing out with a sly sort of gleam in her ruby eyes, "Then how, my dear little brother, would you justify your helping the prisoners earlier in the dungeons with us? That was also an act of kindness, wasn't it?"

To her delight, Leon looked at a loss for a brief moment, as if he hadn't expected her reply. He glanced down to the accusing finger that was still pointed at his chest, and he swallowed loudly before raising a hand to brush it away as he recovered his composure. He shook his head, refusing to be defeated by her logic before he corrected himself with a bit of that icy sternness that Eve knew was only meant to cover his embarrassment, "Tch... Very well, I shall amend myself. An act of _foolish_ kindness may very well be the death of you someday, Eve."

"Then all I need to do is not be foolish, and then I can continue to be kind, and continue to ensure my own safety, yes?"

The logic almost made the younger dark knight laugh at the sheer audacity she had to use his own words against him in such a way, but he had to admit that it was completely like her to do so. His sister had always had a way of twisting an argument about until she somehow managed to get the upper hand again, and it was truly one of the reasons why Leon enjoyed the verbal joust with her in the first place. Rolling his eyes as he refused to cede to her, he gestured down the hall as he growled in false annoyance, "Go fetch your twin brother and find Marx, will you, you aggravating thing."

"I'm not aggravating, I'm stubborn. Just like the rest of this family." Eve laughed in reply, and she gently nudged her brother's side with her elbow as she stepped from her room and closed the door neatly behind her as she realized the scolding was now over. Leon stepped back obediently to allow her room and began the short trek down the hall with her, and she smiled over at him when he merely shook his head but answered her rather pert and true remark with a small smile of his own. He knew she was right, just as she did, and he would make no argument as he knew to do so was only hypocritical of him. They all were stubborn, and it was something each and every prince and princess of Nohr took great pride in.

"Eve..." Leon's soft call of her name however broke Eve's stride as she approached Aidan's door, and she turned on her heel to look in surprise at her younger brother. He was watching her with a worried frown gracing his features, having obviously changed his expression in thought when she had looked away for a moment, and Eve halted at once as she frowned in response to him. He shook his head again, but this time with resignation, and he began in a much more gentle voice now as he had her full attention, "At the very least, Eve... Would you promise me to take more care in the future? For all of our sakes, if not for your own. We do all love and worry after you, after all."

Leon's concern brought a tender little smile to Eve's face, and she didn't hesitate to lean in close to him and stand on tiptoe to kiss her brother gently on the cheek as a reward for it. He looked stricken by the sudden show of affection, his face rapidly turning crimson in answer to her kindness, and she couldn't stifle a laugh as she stepped backwards neatly to let him keep some of his pride as she promised him gently, "Don't worry, Leon. I promise to be careful. And I love all of you, too."

Leon stood motionless, watching as Eve left him behind to knock on her brother's door and call for him. He was glad for her retreat as it gave him the moment he needed to recapture his composure, and he sighed raggedly as he watched her favouring her side as she walked away. He had guessed that she was not as fine as she had wanted to appear when she left the dungeons earlier, and his keen eyes could not be fooled now that he could survey her from a distance. She had been injured in that fight with Marx, he knew she had, and his stomach tightened with a mixture of displeasure and anger that he had to fight to keep down and from his face.

Quickly turning away so that Eve would not see him frowning at her back, Leon began the quick trek of retracing his steps back to his own chambers and the mountain of books he had left on his desk as a distraction. He didn't want to think too hard on what had taken place earlier that day, nor did he want to focus on the uncomfortable burning in his cheek or the prickling sensation that was spreading across his skin. It was far wiser to not allow himself to become distracted, but it didn't stop him from shaking his head with disgust as he growled softly, almost inaudibly under his breath.

"Marx, you truly are a fool... And Eve... You are far too softhearted for your own good..."

 **AN:**

 **Leon's a bit of a brat to write, but Eve wasn't giving me much to work with this time around, either... I had trouble from everywhere while I was doing this piece, but I suppose that's just how it works. Regardless, Idealism in the Dark is the last Nohr-centric piece that will be seen from me now as I've finally gotten everything else out of the way. What's coming next is actually going to be a short collection of shots based in Hoshido... The title for that collection is still pending, because I suck at titles, but I'm going to keep writing anyhow because I like to. -shot-**

 **I admittedly don't know what I'm going to be doing after the Hoshido-based collection is finished, as that's when the paths diverge, and I have established headcanons for every single path for the twins... So, I really could write for every path, but I'm not entirely sure if I want to... if that makes much sense. Regardless, I guess I'll just let me muse guide me as I keep going, if she decides to stay with me, but I can't exactly promise that there will be a lot of updates in the next month or so...**

 **... and that is because on the 24th of August, I'm going back to the US for three weeks! I'll be spending most of my time with my girlfriend, but I also plan to see Mi-chan a few times while I'm down there, too. I might or might not write while there, it really depends on my mood and what may or may not be planned, but if I do write, I promise to post even while there. It helps that she has WiFi the poor Canadian moocher can steal, so that does make updating a hell of a lot easier. (I don't have WiFi at my own apartment. I need to visit a library or relative or use my skimpy data plan to upload updates, so I hope you guys don't judge me too much for my long absences now that you know that! -sobs-)**

 **Anywhosit, thank you for reading this far, and please, please, please, drop me a review if you feel so kind and let me know if you want to see more, what you would like to see, and how you felt about what you read! Feedback is my lifeblood after all, and I constantly am striving to improve myself for my readers. Thanks again for sticking this far with me, and I wish you guys happy reading in the future!**

 **Mood: Cheerful.**

 **Listening To: "Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden**

 **~ Sky**


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